Chapter 1 Black Clouds

Dark clouds loomed, and muffled thunder rumbled.

It was about to rain.

Black clouds shrouded the Gospel Church, and crows danced.

Their inky pupils reflected the seemingly sacred church... A drop of water fell, and the whole world spun, swirled, and finally shattered in the rain.

"Pat."

Gu Shen opened his eyes, a drop of water landing squarely on his forehead, then trickling into his eye.

"This is Mu Wanqiu's dream... I've never entered such a realistic dream."

The "Project Starlight" had banished Mu Wanqiu's spirit into the array box.

This was Gu Shen's best chance to "meet frankly" with Mu Wanqiu!

However, the dream world exceeded Gu Shen's expectations.

He crouched down, kicking up fallen pine needles on the ground.

The touch, the coldness.

They were no different from the real world.

"The degree of 'realism' in a dream world often depends on the spirit of the transcendent and the stability of their memories."

"This dream is comparable to the real world."

"This means... Mu Wanqiu's memories of this place are very clear. After so many years, she hasn't forgotten a single detail."

The souls in the array box had almost lost their subjective consciousness.

In this case, Mu Wanqiu should have fallen into a dreamless sleep.

But Gu Shen had come here, which meant that this scene had been playing in Mu Wanqiu's mind for years.

Even in death.

She wouldn't forget.

This was a "nightmare" that Mu Wanqiu would never be able to erase in her lifetime!

Gu Shen walked slowly through the snow forest, his thoughts gradually calming down. The dream was as real as a movie, and his entry into the dream meant that he had become a member of this dream movie, from an outsider.

He remembered their first meeting.

Gu Shen wanted to enter Mu Wanqiu's dream under the guise of investigating the "Duolu River," but was directly rejected.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with that at the time.

Because they weren't close enough.

Rejection was to be expected.

But later... after experiencing life and death in the Duolu River, Gu Shen slowly realized that Mu Wanqiu was extremely protective of her dream. Rather than protecting her dream, it was more like she was protecting her past.

Beizhou had granted her file extremely high privileges for concealment!

Everyone in the First Team of the Investigation Corps said she was a "freak."

Every S-rank was actually a freak.

But her "strangeness" lay in her sealed past.

Coming into this dream, even Gu Shen, as the King of the Underworld, felt a wave of suppression...

Perhaps the answer was in this dream.

"Caw! Caw!"

Suddenly, black crows cried blood, flying over the snow forest, causing bursts of air-splitting sounds.

He narrowed his eyes and looked up.

Black broken feathers and rain mixed and fell.

Then, not far behind Gu Shen, came the sound of the ground shaking.

"How many years ago is this?"

Gu Shen frowned, "Why does it sound like horses' hooves..."

Snowflakes swirled, and the sound of hooves was like thunder.

He stood silently, leaning against a huge snow tree... A team of horses pulled a carriage, a total of seven people. The canopy of the carriage was printed with the "Holy Cross of Light," but Gu Shen did not feel a real aura of light.

"People from the Church of Light? They look more like a group of imposters."

The team left quickly.

Gu Shen came out from behind the snow tree.

He didn't try to destroy the memory of this dream... On the one hand, he wanted to see clearly what the "nightmare" that had plagued Mu Wanqiu for so many years looked like. On the other hand, he wasn't sure what impact the changes in the dream would have on the host.

This was his first time entering the dream of an "Apostle."

He still needed to observe carefully.

"At the end of Snow Ridge, there is a church."

"There is 'power of light' in that church, and I feel disgusted..."

Gu Shen slowly walked toward the end of the road where the team had left.

Although this spiritual world was real, its "territory" was limited. After all, this was a virtual world generated in Mu Wanqiu's mind. The people on this team were driving directly from the "nothingness" of the distant fog.

Gu Shen couldn't leave in the opposite direction.

"So... there's only one destination here."

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows.

Although this dream was real, it wasn't complicated.

It seemed that he only needed to cooperate with the "performance."

...

...

"I'm really sorry, Lord Virgil. After thinking about it... we still won't trouble you."

At the entrance of the Gospel Church.

Dark clouds hung low.

A woman wrapped in a cloak held a pale little girl in her arms. Their luggage was very thin, just two boxes with washed, dried, and folded clothes and thin bedding inside.

Aunt Ai said softly, "While the rain hasn't gotten too heavy, Xiaoqiu and I still have time to hurry. Shenlin City isn't too far away."

Although Virgil had a smile on his face, his expression wasn't good.

He stood under the eaves, looking up from time to time at the crows circling above his head.

Why were these damned crows circling the church so insistently?

And... it was almost afternoon, why hadn't Mr. Zuo's group arrived yet!

"Are you really not going to wait any longer? They'll be here soon."

Sweat trickled down Virgil's forehead.

Damn it...

If they didn't arrive soon, he would have to do it himself!

"..."

Just as Aunt Ai was about to speak, Mu Wanqiu gently tugged at her sleeve. She glanced at the little girl in her arms, who was wearing several layers of thick padded coats, wrapped tightly.

The "aura of disaster" on Xiaoqiu's body had never been so strong!

She had given up the idea of asking for help earlier.

If they stayed any longer.

Even if they weren't regarded as "heretics," they might implicate the kind Lord Virgil.

It was better to leave as soon as possible.

"No, thank you for your hospitality these past few days."

Aunt Ai rubbed the little head in her arms and smiled, "We won't delay you any longer, Lord Virgil. You're welcome to visit Qiaxike in the future."

The smile on Virgil's face was a little stiff.

"Where are they... Damn it! Damn it!!"

He watched the two leaving, silently pulling out a pistol from his cassock.

"Da da da!"

A team of carriages rushed out of the distant snow forest, the flag of the Holy Cross waving in the air... Virgil breathed a long sigh of relief, and put the pistol back into his inner pocket.

Heavy rain poured down. With the driver's rein, the team's horses neighed, their four hooves pounding the ground desperately.

The team moved sideways in front of the two, stopping and blocking their way.

"Who are you?"

Aunt Ai was startled.

She staggered back two steps, holding Mu Wanqiu.

"Madam, don't be afraid! We are the 'Gospel Relief Association' of Guangming City in Xizhou!"

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing an amiable smiling face. He smiled warmly, "Are you Ai Li and Mu Qiu... Lord Virgil told us that there is a mother and daughter in trouble at the Gospel Church here, and you are planning to go to Shenlin City in the near future. We are going the same way, would you like to travel together?"

"Travel together..."

Aunt Ai was stunned. She looked hesitantly at the little girl in her arms.

Mu Wanqiu shook her head at her.

"No, thank you. We can go by ourselves."

If there was no disaster.

She would be happy to travel together... but now she didn't want to involve others.

"Madam, I know what you're worried about..."

The man who lifted the carriage curtain kept his warm and friendly smile.

He narrowed his eyes, looked at the girl in Ai Li's arms, and then said very seriously, slowly, "The condition of the child in your arms is not optimistic... You won't be able to reach Shenlin City if you just take her away like this."

Ai Li's pupils contracted slightly.

The next moment.

She looked at the man in the carriage, stretched out a palm, and in the frigid and frozen rainy day, in the wilderness where rain silk lingered, there was a faint breeze gathering, and finally with a "chi" sound.

A delicate flame ignited in the man's palm.

Ai Li was startled by the sudden appearance of the flame at such close range. She took two steps back, "This, this is?!"

"I heard that you have been traveling in Beizhou with this child for a long time."

The man said lightly, "Then you should know the existence of 'transcendence'... Qiaxike Town is not an ordinary town, and the child you are carrying is not an ordinary child."

"Her spiritual aura has become紊乱 (wenluan – disordered), and this is the prelude to a 'transcendent awakening'... How long has this been happening?"

The man asked, "Has it happened from time to time in the past six years?"

"Yes..."

Ai Li's voice was intermittent, and she murmured, "You are also... a transcendent?"

The word "also" caught the man's attention.

"Hmm..."

He narrowed his eyes and smiled, and said, "My surname is Zuo, and my name is Zuo Wu. I am a Saint Arbiter of the Guangming Church stationed in the North Aid Association. During the war, I am responsible for assisting children who have been displaced by the war... and geniuses with 'transcendent potential'."

"The Guangming Church stationed in the North Aid Association?"

Ai Li had never heard of it, and she looked at the child in her arms a little blankly.

"Wait, do you mean that Xiaoqiu is... not a jinx, but a genius?"

Black mist had already seeped out of the robe.

It was clearly visible in the rain.

Zuo Wu also saw it.

There was no disgust in his eyes, but more smiles: "'Transcendent awakening' will cause游离 (youli – free-floating) source matter in the void to converge, often causing some strange phenomena, which will be regarded as 'disasters' by ordinary people. But in fact, this is nothing... Yes, what I want to say is that Xiaoqiu is a genius."

Six years of displacement.

Six years of hiding.

Six years of turmoil in the war, this answer was like a ray of light that broke through the dark haze.

Mu Wanqiu hid in Aunt Ai's arms.

"So, do you mind returning to the church with me? It's a bit too rainy, and the brothers have come all the way, and they are still hungry."

Zuo Wu asked in a slow and gentle voice, "It's faster to come with us than for you to walk. After we've eaten, we'll send you on your way."

"Also..."

"This child is undergoing 'transcendent awakening,' and maybe I can help her."

He paused and smiled, "What do you think?"

"...Ah."

Ai Li was stunned for a long time until Zuo Wu's reminder brought her back to her senses and realized her gaffe.

She said in surprise, "Of course, of course... Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

A very light laugh came from the rain.

"These are nothing... This is what we do."

Zuo Wu said, "May the Holy Light be with you."

...

...

The team carried the two towards the church.

Gu Shen stood in the rain, thoughtful. As a "bystander," he could vaguely feel the operation of this dream... There was a fixed long axis.

At this moment, because of the "Netherfire," he had forcibly intervened in this memory.

Once he appeared.

The scene in the memory would change due to his appearance and force.

He was not in a hurry to cut into this memory, but continued to watch silently... Through the dialogue in the rain, Gu Shen roughly understood the situation of these people. These transcendents disguised as church pastors were not good people from the relief society at all.

Before entering the church.

Zuo Wu and Virgil had a brief eye contact.

This scene was also clearly seen by Gu Shen, who was thousands of meters away.

"The real priest and these fake pastors... are in cahoots."

Gu Shen murmured, "Their goal is to kidnap and kill Mu Wanqiu? If that's all... this dream seems a little too simple."

As the King of the Underworld, he could shatter the "intentions" of these people in the dream at any time.

But he didn't understand.

How could these few people leave a "nightmare" in Mu Wanqiu?

The man named Zuo Wu was indeed a transcendent, but he had nothing to do with the "Church of Light." If this guy had ever read the teachings of the Gospel Church or chanted the name of the Holy Throne of Light... he wouldn't have been able to see that the transcendent aura awakened on Mu Wanqiu was completely opposite to the Light, a "filth."

The "filth" here was not a derogatory term.

It was the "disaster" and "curse" that were completely opposite to the Light in terms of characteristics!

This gang was likely a special organization that trafficked in "transcendent awakened children"... The higher the level of the children's transcendent awakening, the more benefits they would get.

And the priest named Virgil was just an ordinary person.

All he cared about was money.

These people looked like "evil people all around," but in reality... they were all trash!

Mu Wanqiu's transcendent awakening rating was "S-rank"!

What did that mean?

With the terrifying talent of [Pan Guan] (Judge), as long as she awakened... the entire church would be bloodied, and none of these people would be able to escape. For the past six years, Mu Wanqiu had been suppressing the "monster" in her body.

And now, this monster was about to revive.

"Wait..."

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes and realized something.

"If Mu Wanqiu's [Pan Guan] awakens, will a situation similar to mine occur..."

On the rooftop, he directly killed two transcendents who were two realms higher than him by using the Ruler of Truth!

Mu Wanqiu didn't have the Ruler of Truth.

But her [Pan Guan], from the beginning of its awakening, possessed unparalleled killing power!

"Out of control..."

"Once out of control... she will kill everyone in the church..."

"These guys are not important..."

"What's important is the woman who has been taking care of her!"

...

...

(There will be more tonight!)